My 'Last Sacrifice'
by BookLife93
Summary: This starts where Spirit Bound ended. Dimitri has taken Rose away and their relationship begins to bloom again as he opens back up to her when the duo travel to russia! read to find out how the past will change their future.
1. Chapter 1

"Do you have any idea where we are going, comrade?" I said as I glanced over at Dimitri. How had I gotten into this mess? Well, maybe I knew the answer to that, but I still didn't like it.

"I don't know Rose; I'm just trying to keep you safe. That's my job. Now please, let me sleep." He complained across the train car as he leaned against the window. He was so confident; it's why I loved him so much.

I sat there silently, thinking about the night I escaped. Well, I guess _**we**_ escaped. He ran down into the corridor, whipping open my cell. It only took one word, "RUN!" I bolted although I had no idea where I was going. Suddenly Dimitri was beside me, directing me through the building. I was glad he had a plan, I sure as hell didn't. Well, I guess what he always said was true; running was the most important lesson. It was definitely helping us escape these guards, even though I could beat most of them anytime I wanted to. As I busted through the door, I was surprised by the sun. How long had it been that I really couldn't remember what the sun looked like? God, I have serious issues. At least I'm not dead. Yet.

I hadn't realized I had been sleeping until I heard, "Get up, time to actually figure this mess out," from Dimitri.

I knew better than to try than explain here in public, so I would patiently wait till we were alone. Maybe I was actually growing up. A year ago, I would have pitched a fit about how none of this was my fault and possibly use some profanities in the mix. Well, now I just didn't feel up to arguing with Dimitri, I would rather just enjoy what little time I had with him.

"Ok, fine. Where are we going then?"

"To Abraham."

"WHAT!" I exclaimed as I tried to imagine what my father would say about this predicament. Not that I really cared what he thought, I just really didn't think it was a good idea to piss him off.

"Rose, not now. He is the only person who might understand all this, and he can protect you, and he _**is **_your father. Must I list more reasons, or can we just get a move on?"

"OK, OK, so he is my father. Not that I give a crap. And his version of protecting me is terrifying anyone who gets in his way. That is not a kind of person I want to live with. And quite frankly, I'm scared of him."

"You're scared of _**him**_?" He laughed a little under his breath. I loved the sound, it sounded like my Dimitri.

We were still at the train station, so we walked in silence. As soon as we stepped off the train I knew where we were. Russia was just as amazing; the architecture, the people, the culture, it still amazed me. I hadn't expected to return here for a long time, and I figured it would bring up horrible memories when I did. I was surprised to look around and realize I was truly happy to be in Moscow. As we stepped outside, I glanced over to see Dimitri pull out his phone.

"Dimitri, please. Can we just go somewhere quiet and let me explain what I know to you. I do not want to see my father and I just want to rest and…" I looked down, hoping Dimitri understood how much I needed this from him.

He put his phone away and led the way down the street. I knew where he'd be going, and I knew he wouldn't like it. I don't care, it's what I wanted and it's the only way we would ever truly get privacy to talk.

We walked up to the grand hotel, I half expected him to keep walking, but he turned into the magnificent golden arches and went through the rotating door. I followed without question as he went to the front desk and got a room.


	2. Chapter 2

"One bedroom. Two beds." He said to the desk clerk as he sternly glanced at me.

Yeah, he did not want to be here. I hated when he used _**that **_tone. The one that said I was clearly too young to do anything impure. He and I both knew better. Oh well, we weren't here for that. Not that I didn't want us to be.

As we entered the room, I sat down on the bed, ready for the lecture that was surly to come from Dimitri. Instead, he sat at the little desk and waited for me to explain.

"OK. I got this letter from Tatiana. It basically says that someone killed her because she won't force all damphirs to serve them. We still have a choice, for now. It says that she could either lower the graduate age or force us to serve them. She went the less evil route, and still got murdered for it."

"Can I just read the note myself?"

"Yes, but you have to come get it yourself." I said as I held it up teasingly on the bed.

"Roza, must you be so difficult?"

He got up and grabbed the letter from me, with a barely noticeable smile on his lips. Maybe I could get through to him; maybe he could understand that I really do love him no matter what. But now is definitely not the time for that. Well, actually it was always time for it, but I didn't want him to send me to Abe.

As he read the letter, I decided to check in on Lissa. It had been a while, and I knew she was worried about me. It didn't take much concentration to get in her head. She was at school with Christian. Wait, she had graduated. Why was she still there?

"What if she never comes back?"

"She will, she will. Maybe not to here, but you will see her again."

"What if she's dead?"

She was beginning to cry. Man, I did not want to see this. I wished for the billionth time that the bond worked both ways. I was going to have to reach her somehow. Payphone? Traceable. Adrian? Eh, he hasn't been in my dreams for a while, can't count on that. A letter? That might work. I'd have to look into it.

"You'd feel it in the bond." Lissa looked up to see Adrian.

"Well, I guess that makes sense."

"It will be alright, I promise." Christian soothed as he brushed the top of her hair with his hands.

I slowly came back to the hotel room, knowing that for now, Lissa was taken care of. Although, I must have looked very strange cause Dimitri was staring at me like he'd just seen a ghost.


	3. Chapter 3

"Did you just visit Lissa?"

"Yeah, I wanted to be sure she was OK. I just wish the bond worked both ways; she's worried sick about me. Literally."

"Wow. I've never actually seen you do that, it's fascinating to watch. But are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I noticed the look in his eyes, "she hasn't been using much spirit. There isn't any madness for me to take at the moment."

"Good."

I settled in to rest a while, when he asked me something I'd kinda been dreading.

"Are you really afraid of your father?"

"Ugh. He is the last person I want to talk about. And he is NOT my father."

"You need to tell me Rose, why are you scared of him."

"I just don't like the shady businesses he's into. And he thinks he can boss me around, make me do things I don't particularly want to do."

"Things like what?"

"Leave Russia for one."

"You shouldn't be scared of him for those reasons. There are other things that are much more scary." He looked down at his hands in disgust.

"I'm not afraid of you Dimitri."

"You should be."

"Why? Because you have a past? Cause you've done things you regret? That's hardly anything to be afraid of."

"Oh, Roza. You don't understand. To have done what I did, and have to live with it every day."

"No, I think I do understand. I was there; I remember it just as much as you do. The difference is that I won't let it come between us because I will never stop loving you. No matter what."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"YES I DO! I'm tired of being treated like a child, I'm not your student anymore, and I'm not going to argue with you." I lied down and got under the covers. I really didn't want to, but I began to cry. At this point it didn't matter if he saw me cry, it was his own damn fault.

The next morning I woke up early, seeing Dimitri lying on the other bed. He was so peaceful when he slept, it was something I enjoyed watching because it was when he was the least guarded. I gently slid out of my bed and maneuvered into his bed. Luckily he didn't wake when I did, so I could rest next to him. I knew when he woke up he'd get really angry, but I just wanted these few moments with him no matter what the cost.


	4. Chapter 4

"Good morning."

"Morning." I said guarded. I was prepared for the wrath of Dimitri, but instead, he put his arm around me. I was so surprised and happy I could hardly contain my joy.

"Oh I'm sorry!" he said smoothly as he removed his arm from my shoulder. I was very upset, why would on earth would he _take_ that arm away?

"Why, no. don't take it back…" I exclaimed, a bit confused.

"Oh, I-I thought you were afraid." He said as he looked down.

I laughed and strategically put his arm around me, and as I did so I looked in his eyes and told him, "I am not afraid of you. I was trying to contain my pure happiness. It obviously didn't work very well."

" Don't get used to it, this is not going to be a regular occurrence."

"I figured not. You always have to be so difficult."

"Ah, Roza. I'm not being difficult. I'm being safe."

"Safe? I'm no longer your student. Everyone knows and no one minds. It surprised me how cool everyone was with us." I said, purpously ignoring his uneasiness.

"it doesn't matter, I said no." he said as he stood from the bed and walked over to the desk.

"Let's get one thing straight right now. I love you, I always have, and I always will. I will never give up, and you know how stubborn I am." I declared as I held my nose toward the air.

"yes, I do know how damn stubborn you are. Well, how about we just figure out why someone wants you dead then I can convince you how bad we are together."

"I was getting curious about who is trying to kill me. It kind of bothers me and I want to kick their ass."

"Figures that you want violence to be involved." He said under his breath, a smile clearly on his lips.

"Where do we go from here?"

"Abe."

I did not want to go to Abe. He would try to hide me and keep me out of the action. I know he wants to protect me, but I do not need protecting. Besides, if I did, I have a big strong Russian Gaurdian here to help me. How do I get Dimitri away from the Abe idea though? What is the one place that he would want to go in Russia that might be able to help us?

"Wait Dimitri, I have a better idea."

He turned his head and looked at me questioningly. I knew when I saw those beautiful eyes that this would work, and I really could find some useful information.

"Well, I am really worried about Lissa and I know someone who might be able to help me contact her. If I could do that, it would help me be more focused and we might find people there that can help."

He got a guarded look on his face, "Rose, where are we going?"

"Siberia."


	5. Chapter 5

Sleep, no matter how much you try to stop it, always happens when you least want it. As we got on the train, I felt suddenly very tired. I rested my head on the side of the window and closed my eyes to drift off into a dreamless sleep…or so I thought.

"Hello my little Damhpir." Adrian said with a tired look on his face.

"Oh, Adrian. What are you doing? You havn't been in my dreams for a long time."

"I've been, well, ugh, busy." He said in a tone that clearly meant he was hiding something.

"I'm really glad you're here anyways! Can you get a message to Lissa?"

"I would really like to, but I can't."

"Why the hell not?"

"I'm not at the school."

"Then where are you?"

"Russia." He said as he looked down with a guilty look on his face.

"WHAT! You followed me? Why? Adrian you go back right now! You can't fight this battle for me."

"No. That's not why you want me gone and you and I both know it. You want me gone so you can be with Dimitri. So you can live in this fantasy where you love only him and forget everything else. I won't let you do it. I know you have feelings for me and I'm not going to sit by and let you deny them forever. I'm coming with you, and you're going to have to deal with it"

That took me back a little. I didn't have anything to say so I just stood in the middle of the meadow he created in my dream.

"Good. So I'm coming. I will be waiting in Bia when you get there."

"Wait. How did you know where I am?"

"I'll have to explain when you get here. It's a bit complicated."

"I'm not going to like this am I?"

"Probably not."

I woke up then and looked around the train car. Dimitri sat there, looking somber as he slept. I just wished this could all be taken away. Why did Dimitri have to be changed? Why did I love him so much I had to go save him? Why was Adrian so nice and sweet? These kind of questions filled my mind as I stared out the window waiting to enter the Bia station, where doom was surly to come. Adrian would be there, Dimitri would be there, and worst of all, they both wanted something from me…love.

"Well this is going to complicate things."

"What is?" Dimitri said in a sleepy voice as he rubbed his eyes and sat up. Wow, he had really nice muscles. How could I ever _not _love someone with a body like his?

"Adrian has been tracking me. He is meeting us in Bia."

"I don't really mind Adrian joining, but if he can track you, so can other people. People who want you in jail, who want to execute you."

"Thanks for making my day so much better comrade. Your just a big ray of sunshine and optimism aren't you?"

At this point the train came to a hault, and we began to exit the train; grabbing what little luggage we brought and readying ourselves for the journey to come. As I stepped down onto the platform, I looked up to see Adrian running at me with all his might. He jumped into my arms with the most affectionate hug I have ever received. Great. Affection. From Adrian.

"I missed you so much." He said as I tried to squirm from his reach.

"Yeah, yeah, everyone misses me. Let's go, you have a lot of explaining to do."


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry! I really am. I know it had been, literally, forever since I wrote! I will try much harder to keep up this time.

I know the new book just came out (I havn't read it yet...should be here any day.), but I wanted to keep writting this anyways. I think this is an interesting way the story could go, but I don't own the charchters or the story at all.

I _really _hope you enjoy it. and agian, i'm so sorry for abandoning the story a few months ago.

* * *

We walked off the platform when I turned to Dimitri. "Do you know where we can all talk? I have a feeling no one else needs to hear what Adrian has to say."

"Well, I guess we can talk at my house. I have a lot of explaining to do with my family myself."

"oh. Right. I'm sorry. Maybe I shouldn't have told them."

"No, it's ok. They deserved to know. I just hope they aren't too terrified of me."

"They won't. If they hate anyone, it'll be me."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I might have caught your sister at a den. But I got her out. But she hated me for ruining her relationship. He would have left her. I couldn't watch him do it."

Dimitri looked sad. I could tell he didn't want to believe it, but at the same time wasn't all that surprised. On my other side Adrian was being uncharacteristically silent with a smug little smile on his face. Great. What's he so happy about?

We turned onto his street then and I felt a sudden sense of worry. I didn't know what to expect. I found a way to bring my undead lover back from the dead but I'm still scared to walk into a house a women. I guess that's the thing with family, when you feel loved and you betray that love, you're afraid to return.

When we entered the house, Dimitri's mom was sitting at the table. Viktoria was sitting next to her and they both looked up to see their undead family before them. Olena turned very pale, and Viktoria almost fainted. Dimitri got a tiny smirk on his face to cover the fear in his eyes.

"Hi mom. I guess I have some explaining to do."

I looked up at him, wary of the glances Viktoria was giving me. "Do you need me here, comrade?"

"No, you and Adrian can go to my old room to talk. You just have to fill me in later. Here, I'll show you were it is."

"Ah, comrade. I know where it is."


	7. Chapter 7

Adrian and I walked into his bedroom. Nothing had changed. Adrian closed the door quickly and sat down on the bed, motioning for me to join him. Instead, I went for the rocking chair directly across from where he was sitting. His smile had faded and he looked completely serious. I wasn't used to Adrian looking this somber and attentive. Something must be terribly wrong.

"What is wrong with you Rose?"

"What?"

"You just left Lissa all alone? How could you do that to her? She is broken into pieces."

"Well, I didn't plan this or anything. Dimitri just busted into my cell and rescued me. Besides, she needs to stay safe. Her and Christian are together and safe a St. Vlad's. That's how it should be."

"You can't protect her from the world. She can help you, and she is connected to you. You need to respect that. Now, I didn't want to scream at you so I'm going to stop. We have other things to discuss."

"Yeah, ugh, how exactly did you find me?"

"Oh. Well, that's kind of hard to explain. You're not going to like it."

"Just tell me Ivashkov."

"Well, when you left I didn't know where you were or that you were safe. I felt so lost and worried. I was trying so hard to keep myself together. Then, all of a sudden, I knew."

"Knew what?"

"Where you were. Your feelings. Everything. That's how I pulled myself together. I could feel your feelings and feel where you were."

"wait. WHAT?"

"Yeah, it's called marking. My heart marked you. It hasn't happened in centuries, and it can only happen to spirit users. It happened to me. I was so lost and confused without you, my heart searched and found you for me."

"Great. That's just great. Your heart found me? Look Adrian, I think you're a great guy, but I love Dimitri."

"Dimitri? Really? He's never going to be right in the head. He will never be able to love you like I can. You have feelings for me. You love me, and you know it. I can protect you in ways he can't."

"I'm not discussing this anymore."

"We don't have to talk about it now. But we are bonded. Forever. Just like you and Lissa. Eventually your heart will seek mine too, and you're going to want me around."

Just then, Dimitri walked in. I gave Adrian a warning look. Through our so called bond he better have sensed that I will hurt him if he tells Dimitri any of this nonsense.


	8. Chapter 8

As Dimitri entered the room, I could tell Adrian had a sense of anger come over him. I felt bad for Adrian, this was my fault. I was the one who led him on, and it's my fault he's in pain now. God, when did I become such a bad person? I looked to Dimitri, hoping to find some sense of security, or at least for him to end this terrible silence.

"So, how did you find us Ivashkov?" said Dimitri, almost bored with this.

"Not in any traceable way. I assure you. No one knows I'm here, or how to find us."

"Alright. Well, look. Here's the thing. I need to stay here a few days. My mother hasn't seen me for years, and I did just come back from the dead. She wants me home for a bit before I gallivant off. I have to stay. For her."

At this point I turned. I understand Olena's love for her son, but there are way more important things happening. "Are you serious? We can't lose that kind of time!"

"I know, Rose. So you're going to go with Ivashkov."

"To hell I am."

"HEY!" said Adrian as he turned to glare at me, "What's so wrong with going with me?"

"For one, I'll have to protect your ass along with mine. At least with Dimitri he can take care of himself."

"Rose, since when have I not been able to take care of myself? I am a spirit user, I can handle things."

Of course, Dimitri had to go along with this. "Rose. It will be ok, I will join you in a few days. Alright?"

"I really don't have a choice, now do I."

"Adrian, can you leave us alone for a minute."

"Yeah dude. I'll go hang with your mom. Her cooking smells delicious."

Once we were alone, I didn't even consider the fact that Dimitri and I were alone in his bedroom. I looked up at him, his head down, clearly torn.

"You love your mom. I understand that you have to stay. I'll be ok, Adrian is just a pain in my ass sometimes."

"Ah, Roza. Be careful. I hope Ivashkov can help you. I want you to find your father. I know you don't want to but it's time. He can help." He looked down and kissed my forehead. I was in such shock at his emotional display, I couldn't control myself. I looked up into his eyes, reached my head forward, hoping to brush my lips against his.

"Ah, Roza. Not so fast."

"Please? Just once. What if I don't make it out of this alive? You will regret not kissing me."

"Roza. Please leave, don't make this harder on yourself. It was nothing, I shouldn't have done it. It doesn't change anything."

"I love you."

"I know. I'm trying to stop that."

"You're not doing a very good job."

I walked out the door to see Adrian at the table, eating piles of Russian food. Too bad I have to break up to food fest, but we have work to do.


	9. Chapter 9

As we left the house, I knew I would never be back. That family was not mine, I did not belong. Adrian and I turned down the street and I walked back toward the train station.

"I thought we were going to get your dad. Doesn't he have an office or something around here?"

"We aren't going to Abe. We don't need him."

"But Dimitri said..."

"Look, I know damn well what he said, but it's better this way. We leave Abe and his "Business" out of this. We need to find this long lost son, and I think I know how."

"Oh, really Rose? How is that?"

"You."

"Huh?"

"Visit his dreams, probe him to find out where he is."

"Rose, it doesn't work like that. I have to know who I'm looking for."

"That's why we are going to the train station. There is an archive of vampires in France. We go there, get in, and take his picture out of the file. Can you find him if you know what he looks like?"

"It's a long shot, but yeah, it could work. You're forgetting something important though."

"Try me."

"Everyone there will have your picture. You're wanted for murder of the queen. They will know who you are."

"Ah. That's were your super compulsion comes in. If I could break Viktor out of the most guarded prison in the world, we can get into a library."

"Your plan seems to easy. It will be much harder than you think."

"Well, I guess it doesn't matter if I die because that's what will happen if I stay put to be put to trial. This is all I've got. I'm putting my all in cause it doesn't really make a difference if I live or die at this point."

"Yes it does Rose. It matters to me. I will never let them execute you. I promise you that, but you have to promise me something. Promise me you won't dive in without thinking. We are in this together, and I can't lose you, I really can't. So please, for me, think before you act. Try to keep yourself alive."

"I will try, but I can't promse either of us will make it out of this alive."

"Thats why you are going behind Dimitri's back! You don't want to risk him? Are you serious? You would risk your life AND mine, but not his?"

"He's been through enough." I looked down then, he had caught on to my underlining plan. "He has already died once, I won't lose him again. I can't be responsible for killing him or even worse, turning him back."

"So, you and I are going to go? You would leave Dimitri, even if it meant forever?"

"I don't want to, but I have no choice. It's the safe thing for him. It's all I ever wanted for him. A happy, healthy, life."

"I have no problem with you leaving him. You and me to the end."

He reached out to hug me then. This was going to be a long trip. We got to the ticket booth and boarded the train. Off to the city of love we go. Me and Adrian, not Dimitri. _Sigh._


	10. Chapter 10

I fought with myself for a while on if i should keep writting this. With much respect to Richelle Mead, I still want to write my own version of her amazing story. I could never write it any better than her, but as an aspiring writer, I feel I need to take my own spins and never give up my writting.

So I will keep writting this story, but since we have the book itself now, I will add in some of that book too. Ultimately I'm still writting my own version, but I want to keep some of the amazing parts of Last Sacrifice in this as well.

I hope you like it! :)

The train pulled up to the Paris station in the late afternoon. Adrian and I were going to have to find a hotel, and fast. Night time in a busy city meant easy pickings for Strigoi, and we couldn't afford to make a scene.

"Hey, Adrian?"

"Hmmm?"

Luckily he had been sleeping most of the trip; I couldn't afford to have him staring at me more than usual.

"As much as I hate to say this, we are going to have to find a hotel."

He quickly sat up and looked out the window, taking note of how fast the sun was setting.

"Alright, let's go."

We exited the train with our small bags in tow. Making our way down the busy streets, filled with restaurants and music, I was excited about being in the extravagant city.

The thing about Adrian was, he was kind of perfect, which sucked. I kept trying to move on past Dimitri, but things between us had always been so perfect, until now. He keeps saying he will never love again, but how can I believe that? How can I continue to live without him? That's when it hit me.

"Adrian, Even if we find out who this Dragomir is, I will never be able to return will I?" He looked down and saw the panic in my eyes.

"Well Rose, maybe if we clear your name."

"How can we do that? The murder is at court, we know that. If they framed it on me, it was to cover up something big. Something they didn't want found out. From the note your aunt left, it seemed political. That means someone at court. I fled. If they find me now, they don't have to just detain me. They can kill me. No, they _will _kill me if they see me."

"Rose. Look at me. We will figure this out, and if we don't, I honestly wouldn't mind hiding out with you for the rest of my life." He gave me that Adrian smile I had come to just ignore.

"If we hide, I will never see Dimitri again. And worse, I will never be able to protect Lissa."

He had nothing to say at that. Instead, he came and put an arm around me in an attempt to comfort me. I didn't need comfort, I needed results. Fast.

"Alright. Well, Lissa knows you didn't just escape to hide out. She has to know something's up because I told her I had some things to go find in the world, and that she should get to court before more bad stuff started happening."

"And by 'find things' you meant find me. Clever. You think she got the message?"

"Maybe, but either way, I will find her in her dreams and ask her to help us from inside court. She can do some investigating."

"Don't tell her where we are. She will try to come find us, and under no circumstances tell her about this long lost sibling"

"Ok Rose, I'm not an idiot."

"Whatever ever you say." I was smiling now at the grimace he had at the thought of him being anything but godly.

Adrian quickly dragged me into a shabby looking parlor on the opposite side of the street as the train station.

"What are you doing?"

"Look, this is a hostel. They will let us stay here really cheap and it won't raise any suspicion."

"Alright, fine. Let's make one thing clear though, I am doing the talking. You would have us in a tiny room with one bed, close together. That's not happening lover-boy, so I will be getting the room."

"Be my guest." He smirked as he held his hand out in front of him, gesturing me to what appeared to be the front desk.

"Hi, we would like to get a room."

"Je ne parle pas anglais," said the girl, with a confused look on her face.

"Great, Adrian. She doesn't speak English."

"Nous voudrions une chambre. Deux lits s'il vous plaît." He said in a perfect accent, as if he lived here his whole life.

"Whoa, Adrian. When did you learn French? Wait, what did you say?"

"Don't worry, I asked for a room with two beds. There are a lot of things you don't know about me Rose."

"Désolé, un seul à gauche. Un lit." Said the girl, with a smirk on her face.

"What? What did she say?"

"Well, they only have one room left, and it only has one bed."

"Of course they do."

We took the room, what choice did we have? I can honestly say that Adrian looked disappointed at this arrangement, to my utter disbelief. We walked to the room, only to find a small bed hardly big enough for two people. Good thing I was trained to endure no sleep.

"Don't worry about it Rose, I can sleep on the floor."

"No, it's fine, I have been trained to stay up long periods of time. You can sleep."

"Rose. We both need our energy tomorrow. We will both sleep."

"OK. I do wonder, why aren't you pushing the sleeping arrangements?"

"I don't want you to feel pressure from me Rose. I am anything you need me to be, and right now you need a warrior and a friend. When the time comes that you need or want me as more, I will be here."

"Adrian, does this new approach to things have to do with this marking stuff?"

"Well, yes. Some of it does, but not all of it. I have never forced myself on you Rose, I do have some dignity."

"How much do you know about it?" I prodded.

"Enough to know it's not going to go away, if that's what you were hoping."

"Are you going to tell me exactly what you know?"

"Not right now. Maybe someday, but only if you're a good girl." He said as he patted me on the head like a dog and began to laugh.

I turned to climb in bed. I am not a girl to sit around and let a guy, specifically Adrian, play games with me. If he didn't want to tell me, I didn't really care. It was his heart on the line, not mine.


	11. Chapter 11

True to his word, Adrian didn't try any funny business while we slept. I woke with a start, getting an eerie sensation that someone was watching me. I glanced across the room to see Adrian lying in a small wooden rocker thrown in the corner of the small room. Of course he was staring at me.

"What are you looking at?" I said with a tone that clearly told him I was not in the mood to deal with his infatuation this early in the morning.

"Did you know you talk in your sleep?"

"What?" I sat up suddenly, looking him directly in the eye, worried what I might have said.

"Yeah. You talk about war and Strigoi and killing. Pretty awesome stories actually."

"Hm. I had no idea." No idea that's what I would say, considering my dream had nothing to do with destruction. I guess that is the way with guardians, we have to think about death at all times to be prepared for the next attack. Even in my subconscious I knew I was a guardian and Adrian was a prince I had sworn to protect when I took my oath.

"Well now you do, so try and pipe it down next time so I can sleep."

"Oh shut it Adrian, and get out of here so I can change." I could already tell this was going to be a long day.

"Silly Rose, at some point on this trip you might have to change in front of me. We might get in some interesting situations, no need for you to be modest." He gave me one of those Adrian smiles, with a wink to top it off.

"Adrian, if there comes a time you need to see me with my clothes off you will know it. Right now is not the time so get out."

I changed into a pair of pants and a t-shirt with a hoodie over top. The hoodie was just in case I needed to change my appearance quickly, the pants and t-shirt were easy to fight in. Dimitri had taught me to always anticipate a fight, and I was definitely expecting one soon. We had been gone a while, and I knew someone would be trying to trace Adrian.

I walked out into what appeared to be a kitchen, where Adrian was definitely eyeing the pancakes. I hated to pull him away, but we needed to get this done and get gone before someone figured out where we might be.

Stepping out onto the street, we were glad to find it was warm day. I cheered up a little; it was hard to stay angry in such a beautiful place. There were colorful banners hanging above the streets, and clothes hung along lines across from home to home. People were out and about, talking and singing. I took in the smell of hot pastry's and fresh bread from the bakery a few shops down.

"I wish we could see the city a little, I've never been to a place this magnificent." I sighed as I looked at all the buzzing shops up and down the street.

"Sorry Rose but today is strictly business. I will bring you back someday, I promise."

"Don't make promises you might not be able to keep." I looked up at him, and the fierceness in his eyes told me he knew what the stakes were. Our lives. We were going in head first, and it was a risky plan to begin with. Adrian knew that this was life or death; he could die here if we made any mistakes. I was still looking at him, trying to telepathically tell him to run to the nearest airport and get away from me and my crazy plans, but of course he stood by my side without flinching.

We turned onto a darker street. All of a sudden the people bustling around everywhere were gone. The beautiful banners and overall cheeriness vanished. The buildings towered over us, blocking the sun. As we walked down the alleyway rats and bugs swarmed everywhere. Cobwebs lined every crevice of the path. It was just the kind of place for Strigoi to hang out. I had an uneasy feeling about this, but I didn't argue with Adrian, who somehow seemed to know where he was going.

He walked up to a huge black door with a large red spider painted on the front. Adrian reached up and knocked only once, then stood back in the alleyway, in front of the small black stoop. He looked directly in my eyes, letting me know to be quiet. I trusted his compulsion, if I just followed him and didn't draw attention no one would ever know I was here. The door opened and a small, crouched over, wrinkly, hobbit looking creature gazed out at us.

"Why do you enter here?"

"I need to see the master file."

"Name?"

"Adriana Ishvokov."

The creature looked him over then nodded its head, opening the door wider for him to enter. I worriedly looked at Adrian; it couldn't be smart to tell them the name of our murdered queen. Especially since he was harboring a fugitive. He didn't look over at me, but he didn't have to. I knew he would just give me a warning glance, telling me to trust him. The problem wasn't that I didn't trust him; I just hoped to god he knew what he was doing.

Once we were inside the door closed and the creature was gone. I glanced around only to notice the place looked like an honest to god medieval dungeon. The walls were made of grungy looking stone with water dripping from some places, and torches lined the walls as the only light. We walked down the corridor until we reached a large white door. In most cases that would be a good sign, but in this case it was just creepy. In a hallway of darkness stands a single door of light? I didn't trust it so I got ready for anything that could be awaiting us when we walked beyond that door.

Adrian reached out and turned the handle, slowly opening the door while simultaneously peeking inside. Once the door was completely open and we steeled inside, I looked up to find...nothing? Absolutely nothing. The walls, ceiling, and even floor were perfectly white, but there was nothing inside the room at all. I glanced up at Adrian, to see a confused look on his face.

"Is this a joke?"

"No, I swear, it was in here. There were cabinets lining all the walls that held the information on every vampire that ever existed.

"Then where did it go?"

That's when the door slammed shut behind us.


	12. Chapter 12

I looked every which way, trying to find an escape. Of course the only escape was the door that had just slammed in our face, locking us in. Adrian had a look of panic in his eyes, and I was trying to keep my cool. They taught us to always remain calm, but at this point Dimitri's number one rule might come in handy….run.

I grabbed Adrian's hand and said "Do you trust me," but I didn't wait for an answer. I kicked in the door, and of course there was a guard already jumping on us. Luckily his back-up had not yet arrived. I easily knocked him out and then stepped on his leg to ensure he would not get up and follow us. I was in nothing but battle mode, and my number one responsibility was Adrian's safety.

We ran down the corridor, and to my amazement we didn't find anyone else chasing us. We burst into the street where I ran this way and that till we were in the middle of market square. I knew that no one would try and fight us here in such an open place, and that's if they could even find us in the mist of all the humans.

Adrian turned to me and noticed my arm was bleeding, "We need to get that bandaged."

I looked down and realized it was a deep cut from the stake the guard had. It hurt like hell, but I composed myself not to complain to Adrian. He seemed to know where to go and led me down a street into a little shop. It was quaint with little trinkets and hippy looking clothes.

"What are we doing here," I asked, "I thought we were going to bandage my arm."

Adrian just looked at the sales woman and asked if she had a restroom. He led me back until we entered a tiny little bathroom, and my confusion grew when Adrian followed me.

"Where the hell do you think you're going mister?"

"Do you want your armed fixed?" he smirked as he pushed me in and locked the door. It was then that I realized what he was going to do. He wanted to heal my arm, not bandage it.

"Adrian, you can't heal my arm. It will weaken you and you need to be as strong as you can. You saw what just happened."

"Rose, I either heal your arm or go crazy from the smell of your blood. I have no drank in over a week, and your blood going everywhere isn't helping."

"oh, damn. I forgot. I'm sorry. How long can you go before you have to feed?"

"A few more days, but I will get weaker the longer I go."

"oh." I said as I was thinking. I knew that at some point I was going to have to let him feed from me. It would make him extremely strong, and I knew we couldn't kill some innocent human. It would get back to the people looking for us, somehow. As much as it sucked, I would have to let him. I hated doing this, but no one would have to know. Adrian wouldn't tell, hell, he'd actually enjoy it. I just hated how good it made me feel in general, and I was scared of how good it would feel if it were Adrian.

"What are you thinking? I can see how uncomfortable you look." He said with a genuine look of concern lining his face.

"Well, I know you need to feed, and so I guess you can feed from me. I don't like it, but desperate times call for desperate measures."

He looked me over and thought to himself for a few minutes before turning to me and saying, "I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

"The only thing that makes me uncomfortable is how good it feels for me. I don't want you to get any weird ideas about us."

"I already have weird ideas about us Rose."

With that I pulled his lips to my neck and he sucked his teeth in.


End file.
